Nigeria and the United States have scheduled fresh security talks following Washington’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and recent warnings issued by U.S. President Donald Trump.
A high-level Nigerian delegation, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and led by National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, will meet U.S. officials to deepen cooperation on tackling Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Other members of the team include Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Minister of Defence Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Dr Bernard Doro. The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun are also part of the delegation.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said Ms Idayat Hassan of the NSA Office and Mr Paul Alabi of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington will coordinate the secretariat of the United States–Nigeria Joint Working Group, a new platform established during last week’s engagements in Washington, DC.
The working group is expected to fast-track intelligence sharing, operational support and humanitarian coordination between both countries.
According to the Presidency, the decision to establish the group was among the key outcomes of meetings between Ribadu’s team and senior U.S. officials.
President Tinubu urged the delegation to work “assiduously” with their counterparts to operationalise all agreements and deepen cooperation across defence, diplomacy and humanitarian response.
The CPC designation followed petitions by some Christian leaders alleging targeted attacks, claims the Federal Government has rejected. Minister of Information Mohammed Idris criticised what he described as a misunderstanding of the complexities of Nigeria’s security crisis.
The renewed diplomatic efforts come amid a series of fresh abductions in Niger State and the Federal Capital Territory, where dozens of farmers, schoolchildren and residents have been seized in recent days. Security agencies say operations are underway to rescue the victims.
